Now and Then
by Kirjava-chan
Summary: After Sakura's death, Syaoran has to raise their kids, while remembering the good times he spent with Sakura. Very kawaii! Lots of romance, not as miserable as it sounds! Free WAFF!
1. Prologue

Konichiwa, minna-san! See, I too can speak Japanese! Okay, not really… Well this is my first fanfic, and, of course, it's S+S. Although, this might be a tad different from what you all expect. But never fear! I promise tons of S+S WAFF, Kawaiiness, Fluff… and a perfectly happy ending. So, please don't flame me before you read the story. Give it a chance! It is for all hopelessly romantic readers(and authors) out there!  
  
Disclaimer: I know I look very dignified, and talented and professional… but I don't own CCS… yet. CLAMP and Kodansha do, though, if you're interested on buying the rights for a new season… unless, of course, you're Nelvana, in which case I'll be forced to tell you: If you wish to continue the CCS butchery by retaking 'Card Captors' (*shudders*), please contact the little green aliens to whom I gave the series to last week… I believe they live somewhere in the 'Sombrero' galaxy… No, really, I don't own CCS.  
  
Key  
  
"speech"  
  
'thoughts'  
  
*actions*  
  
_*scene change/flashback*_  
  
No Need To Move On: Prologue  
  
_*Tomoeda Airport*_  
  
The airport was a very busy place. People ran around, yelled, hurried to catch different planes, or to meet with people. Li Syaoran doubted there was any other place in which people experienced so much emotions. Himself, he had felt sadness, happiness, bliss, loneliness, determination… so many feelings in such a (relatively) small place. Right now, as he emerged from the flight 285 from Hong Kong, he felt nothing, except a vague numbness.  
  
And he had all the right too. His wife, Sakura, whom he loved dearly, had passed away only three months ago. His life had begun the day he met her. Syaoran had never imagined life without Sakura. It was like trying to imagine autumn without brownish leaves falling, or April with no blooming cherry blossoms. Cherry Blossom. At first, staying in Hong Kong had seemed like the best choice, but as time went by, he found himself unable to restrain his grief. He missed his Ying Fa too much. The Li Clan palace, which had acquired such a homey feeling when she moved, had turned deathly cold after Sakura's demise. So Syaoran had made a choice: he was moving back to Tomoeda, taking his and Sakura's children with him. He wanted Kai and Megumi to grow in the cheerful, lovely place his wife was born in. He also wanted to spare his son's suffering, which he new would start as soon as he was old enough to commence the Clan's future-leader training. Syaoran had suffered too much himself with it to let his son go through it; he would train Kai himself. As Sakura had always wanted…  
  
"Syaoran!" a familiar voice interrupted his thoughts. Syaoran scanned the crowd, his gaze finally landing on Tomoyo Daidouji's/Hiragizawa's friendly face. Beside her, her husband Eriol Hiragizawa was standing.  
  
"Tomoyo! Eriol!" Syaoran walked towards his old friends. When he reached them, Tomoyo greeted him with a kiss on the cheek, furred Kai's hair, and immediately took little Megumi from his arms. Syaoran turned to Eriol, and they clasped hands.  
  
"You know," Syaoran told the couple, "you didn't have to come fetch us."  
  
"We know," Eriol answered, "But we wanted to. And besides, I haven't seen my little goddaughter in a long time!"  
  
"Not to mention kawaii, little Kai," Tomoyo added, making baby faces at the infant in her arms. "Well, how about we get going? Unless you want to hang around the airport for a bit more?"  
  
"I'm all set, I just have to…" Syaoran answered, but Eriol interrupted.  
  
"You're luggage is taken care off," then he added with a smile, " my cute descendant." Those three words would usually annoy Syaoran, but today, they only caused a slight smile.  
  
"Okay, let's go!" Syaoran said, while picking up Kai and placing him on his shoulders, to the child's great delight. And so, the group made their way to the parking lot, where they climbed on board the Hiragizawa's suburban.  
  
_*On the Ride*_  
  
'So, what do you think of my descendant?' Eriol asked Tomoyo telepathically. Eriol had granted this ability to Tomoyo sometime after their marriage.  
  
'He looks… different. Very calm.'. Tomoyo answered.  
  
'I know. He didn't even react to the 'descendant' part!'  
  
  
  
'Isn't that a good thing?'  
  
  
  
'I suppose it might be… I'm proud of him.'  
  
  
  
'And why is that?'  
  
'He's handling the tragedy very well. I would have thought that he'd crawl back into his emotional shell, and re-emerge as the cold person he was before he met Sakura.'  
  
'But he didn't, though. Not yet, at least.'  
  
'Indeed-' Eriol was interrupted by the very topic of his and his wife's discussion.  
  
"Say, Eriol, were are your daughters, Sonomi and Nadeshiko ? And were are we going?" Syaoran asked.  
  
"Why, to the Kinomoto household. Fujitaka is baby-sitting the twins, so we're picking them up. Besides, I thought they would enjoy seeing you." Syaoran gulped. He was, for the first time since his childhood, nervous. He hadn't seen either Fujitaka or Touya since- since Sakura's funeral. What if they blamed him for what happened? Touya was more than likely to. Well, it was no use avoiding them; they were part of his family, and besides, whatever happened, he would deal with it when it did.  
  
"We're here!" Tomoyo said in a cheerful voice as the van pulled into a very familiar driveway.  
  
  
  
So, how was it? Very dark? Very sad? Very silly? Very SHORT? Tell me! I, personally, consider it the 'Lamest Chapter That Ever Lived'. Although, chapters aren't alive so technically… aw, forget it! Whatever you think, PLEASE, don't stop reading! As you can see, I left a sort of cliffhanger… I hate doing that, so don't panic! The next chapter is already written, and will be updated as soon as I receive 5 Reviews… This fic WILL get better, I promise! Please, review (even flames, I don't mind them…much)!  
  
  
  
Kirjava signing off! 


	2. Once Upon In An Airport

Hey, I won't take too much space… just keep reading! I know I said I'll wait for 5 reviews, but I noticed how lame chapter one looks alone, so I decided to update this too.  
  
Oh, yeah, thanx to Funkegirl, Pink Cherry Blossom, and Koneko for reviewing! I'm glad you liked the story!(You will find out how Sakura dies soon…)  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned CCS, do you think I would be here, writing fanfics!? No, right? So, in conclusion, I don't own CCS. Oh, and I know there's a movie called 'Now and Then'… well a) I don't own it, and b) It has nothing to do with the fic and/or its plot!  
  
Key  
  
"speech"  
  
'thoughts'  
  
*actions*  
  
_*scene change/flashback*_  
  
*** point of view change  
  
  
  
Now and Then  
  
  
  
_*Kinomoto Residence*_  
  
Syaoran stood at the door of the Kinomoto household, holding his kids' hands. He was about to knock, when the door opened, and there stood Fujitaka-sensei, father of Sakura. For a few seconds, both men just stood there, looking at each other. It was Fujitaka who broke the silence.  
  
"Syaoran," he said in that soothing voice of his, while grasping his son-in-law's hand "I'm happy to see you. Please, come in." he stepped back as to let the group in, and Syaoran let out the air he hadn't noticed he was holding. They settle in the living room.  
  
"Well, well, isn't that my little granddaughter?! Fujitaka said, addressing Megumi. "Although she doesn't seem as little now. How old are you, big girl?"  
  
"Seven and three quarters" the little girl answered, sitting herself in her grandpa's lap.  
  
"See, I was right, you are a big girl now. Are you taking care of your brother?" The girl nodded. "Where is he? " Kai was sitting in his father's lap, holding a yellow teddy-bear. "So, wouldn't you and your brother like to play with Nadeshiko and Sonomi? They have been waiting for you all day! They're upstairs."  
  
"Go on, Megumi. Take Kai with you, and help him through the stairs." Syaoran said. As soon as both kids had disappeared, Fujitaka turned back to Syaoran.  
  
"So, how have you been? Eriol tells me you've decided to move here to Tomoeda. Why?" he asked.  
  
" Yes, we would also like to know" Tomoyo interrupted, while setting the drinks at the table.  
  
"Well, the truth is," Syaoran answered, his voice low and soft, "I couldn't stand it." The other three adults exchanged puzzled glances. "I felt too lonely. Without her, Hong Kong is… I don't know. I couldn't sense Sakura."  
  
"Syaoran," Eriol interrupted, "you can not sense Sakura. She is… she is gone." Tomoyo marveled at his husband's bluntness. She was afraid Syaoran would break down at his words, or worse, but he surprised her by looking up from his tea cup and meeting Eriol's gaze.  
  
"I know she is gone, Eriol. But I can sense her, here in Tomoeda. I mean, I can't sense her aura, but, when I look around, I see all sorts of things that remind me of her. And, in a way, it is like feeling her aura, because she left traces of it in here, marking every place in which something important had happened to her. Or maybe not important, but meaningful." All eyes were on him as he spoke. "I don't know if I'm making myself clear. It's like, I need her around, and being here, among most of her precious memories, is the next best thing."  
  
"So, you're telling me that you need all these things to remember her?" Fujitaka asked.  
  
"Of course not!" Syaoran answered, "I only like having them around, but I don't need them to help me remember."  
  
"And what about the Clan?" Eriol asked, "How did you get them to agree with your moving?"  
  
"The Clan has almost as much business in Tokyo as they do in Hong Kong, so I'm going to tend to it. If there is any emergency, they will contact me, but I don't expect any problems."  
  
"Well," Fujitaka said, smiling "I'm glad to have my son and my grandchildren nearby." Syaoran smiled. Fujitaka had always treated him like a son, and he was grateful for that.  
  
"So are we," Syaoran answered, "the children missed you and their Uncle Touya a lot. And speaking of 'uncle Touya', were is he?" No sooner had he finished speaking that the door opened, and Syaoran's brother-in-law enterd the house. Touya walked calmly to the living room, and, seeing Syaoran, stopped in front of him.  
  
"Gaki." He announced, and for the first time since the two of them had met, neither Syaoran nor Touya was glaring. Instead, they shook hands and embraced in that way men tend to, which doesn't necessarily show affection, but is, rather, a sign of respect. "I only dropped by to welcome you and mini-gaki and mini-kaijuu. I'll have to be going soon."  
  
"That's okay, Touya," Tomoyo interrupted, "We, too, have to be going now. Syaoran, we'll drop you and the kids off at your place in the way." Syaoran nodded, and walked to the stairs and called out for all four children to come down.  
  
After the kids had come down, and had been re-bundled into their coats and scarves (it was winter, after all), the group was ready to leave. Syaoran clasped Fujitaka's hand and said good-bye. Then, he shook Touya's hand.  
  
"Good-bye, Touya, Otou-san. Take care."  
  
"You too, Gaki. And call if you need anything." Eriol, Tomoyo, Syaoran, Sonomi, Nadeshiko, Kai, and Megumi boarded the van, and left.  
  
_*Syaoran's Place*_  
  
The clock on the wall read 12:49. After reaching their new house (or mansion, really), the Li family had proceeded to unpack. Luckily, the furniture was already in its place, thanks to Eriol and the movers. As Kai, being only three years old, was far too young to be of much help, Syaoran had been forced to enclose him in his crib. Megumi had claimed that she was old enough to be of assistance, and rushed upstairs to unpack her clothes and other room thingies. But when Syaoran, entered his daughter's room a couple of hours later, he found that Megumi had not only 'unpacked' her toys, but also 'arranged' them in the floor, where she now laid asleep. Sighing, he picked Megumi up and placed her in her bed. Syaoran picked up the mess, and unpacked all of his daughter's stuff. There, he was now finished. The whole house was in perfect order.  
  
Syaoran sat on Megumi's bed, and stroked her hair. It was really amazing how much she looked like her mother: auburn hair, green eyes, creamy complexion, dazzling smile… yet, she was so much like Syaoran in character and spirit. Of course, it is hard to judge character in one so young, for most children lack it. But not Megumi; she was determined, clever, perfectionist. Yet, like her father, she also had a warmer side, which showed her kind and generous nature. She was truly the daughter of the two most powerful wizards in time, for her magic potential was astounding. Syaoran felt proud of her; he knew his daughter was to achieve great things.  
  
And Kai… he was the vivid image of Syaoran. Right now, he was only 3. He was a happy baby, always laughing, smiling, and doing all the things toddlers were expected to do: throw wrist watches outside car windows, waste all the toilet paper, scribble on walls… Well, maybe he was a little more naughty then the average three-year-old. Although it was too soon to tell, Syaoran was willing to bet that Kai would turn out to be like Sakura, except perhaps a little more devious. Kai was part of why Syaoran decided to move to Tomoeda. Syaoran knew that if he stayed, his son would be forced to train and would soon loose his cheeriness and, eventually, every other emotion. He didn't want Kai to suffer at all, let alone as much as he had while growing up.  
  
Syaoran tucked Megumi in the covers and walked towards his room. There, he changed into the long boxers and T-shirt he usually slept in, and got into bed. Yet, he did not fall asleep. Instead, he thought about his Li Clan training, and how Sakura had rescued him from himself. And how, even after the way he had treated her, she still fell in love with him. And when he had to leave for Hong Kong, she waited for five years, her feelings never faltering. He remembered the day he returned to Tomoeda. They were both fifteen…  
  
_*flashback*_  
  
(AN: Even though this flashback is Syaoran's memory and, therefore, should be in his point of view, I will make it in a third-person point of view, because I need it for the story to work properly. So, bear with me, please? Oh, yeah, Eriol came back to Tomoeda two years before Syaoran.)  
  
Fifteen-year-old Syaoran sat in the window sit of an airplane. Syaoran had been in many airplanes throughout his life, to many different places. This one in particular was heading to Tomoeda, Japan. Or home, as Syaoran liked to call it. The flight attendant approached him and offerd him a drink, which he declined with a slight smile. He was feeling particularly happy today: in a couple of hour's time, he was going to be reunited with a lot of people he held dear: Tomoyo, Tak, Eriol (also known as the 'Source of All Evil'), Chiharu, Naoko, Rika… But most importantly, he would be seeing Sakura. Just thinking about her made him feel all floaty inside. He wondered how she will react when she saw him, after all this years… Not that he was expecting any gigantic proof of affection. After all, he never told her how he felt. Pathetic, really. All those opportunities, and yet, here he was, five years later, still alone, nervous, and madly in love. But that is going to change, he promised himself. He was going to grasp the first chance he got to confess. If she felt the same, great, if she didn't, well… he'll find a way to deal with it.  
  
***  
  
Tomoyo had never seen Sakura so nervous. The green-eyed girl could hardly sit still, and she jumped up every two minutes, paced up and down the aisle, and finally grasped Rika's wrist, almost tearing her arm apart from her body, to look at the time. Then, Sakura would sit down again and the whole thing would happen again. The whole gang, meaning Sakura, Eriol, Tak, Chiharuu, Naoko, Rika, and herself were gathered at the airport, waiting for the arrival of their friend Syaoran.  
  
Tomoyo had missed Syaoran, they had become good friends some time before he left. During his stay in Hong Kong, he had tried to keep in contact as much as possible, despite the fact that the elders had banned him from correspondence, phone calls, and Internet use. As a result, he was forced to rely on Meiling, to whom he gave the few letters he had a chance to write. Tomoyo looked up to see Sakura once again harassing Rika for the time.  
  
"Give it a rest already, Sakura!" Tomoyo told her best friend. "It has been only two minutes since the last time you asked for the time!"  
  
"I'm sorry!" Sakura apologized, "It's just that… Why is the airplane taking so long? What if it had engine troubles and fell into the ocean and- "  
  
"Nothing has happened to the airplane. It is right on schedule." Chiharu said.  
  
"The reason we have been waiting for so long is because someone" Eriol said, glaring accusingly at Sakura " wanted to leave around two hours early!"  
  
"Hoe! I just didn't want us to be late!"  
  
"Uh-huh." The rest of the gang answered. There was silence for a few minute until-  
  
"Rika? What time is it?"  
  
"Sakura!"  
  
"Come on guys," Naoko defended Sakura, " give her a break. She is just a little too anxious to see Syaoran."  
  
"I am not!" Sakura said.  
  
"Of course you are." Tomoyo assured her. "And it's perfectly understandable."  
  
"It is?" Sakura asked.  
  
"Of course!" Chiharu exclaimed "You've been in love with the guy since, what, fifth grade?"  
  
"I have not-"  
  
"Don't bother denying it!" Tomoyo interrupted "All of us know the truth!"  
  
"I think I'll go and get a drink of water." said Sakura, before sprinting off. Of course she knew she loved Syaoran! It was common knowledge! Why, even Terada-sensei must know by now! Probably Rika told him, Sakura thought, bending low to drink water from the water-fountain. Well, back to the subject at hand. She had long-since admitted her love for the Chinese warrior. How could she not? It was worthless to try and ignore the way her heart beat increased at the thought of him, or how her knees grew weak every time somebody mentioned his name. These last five years without him had been hard, to say the least. She missed him so much… But it would be over soon. In a couple of minutes, he would be back, and them everything in Sakura's world would be back in place.  
  
***  
  
Syaoran stepped out of the airplane. Finally, back in Tomoeda! He couldn't be bothered walking towards the gate. Instead, he jogged towards the airport, claimed his bags, and was at the gate so quickly, the other passengers didn't even notice his absence. And when he crossed the gate, he was confronted by a scene he would treasure in his memory for many years to come: his friends running to meet him.  
  
Tomoyo was the first to reach him. As she enveloped him in a giant- bear-hug, he was forced to drop his bags. He hugged her back, as happy to see her as she was.  
  
"Welcome back, Syaoran" Tomoyo whispered. "I missed you."  
  
"I missed you too. And a lot." He whispered back. Then, Tomoyo let him go, only to be trapped again. This time by Naoko and Rika in a double hug, both extremely happy to see him. Then came Chiharu, who squeezed him so hard, Syaoran was sure he cracked a rib.  
  
When he was free again, he shook hands with Yamasaki. Both men embraced.  
  
"Man, it's good to have you back!" Tak told his friend.  
  
"It indeed is, my cute descendant" Eriol added, grasping Syaoran's hand, and after embracing him like Yamasaki had done.  
  
"It's good to be back" Syaoran said "And don't call me that! Say, where's Sakura?" Just then, Syaoran looked up to see Sakura running towards him. She looked like an angel. No, scratch that. She is an angel! Sakura was dressed in a cute sun-dress, white with pink fading. The long, hippie- like sleeves pronounced it a Tomoyo creation. But she looked lovely in it, nonetheless.  
  
***  
  
Sakura ran towards Syaoran, hardly believing her eyes. Maybe it's a dream. Yes, that's it; Kero will soon wake me up. But it wasn't a dream. Syaoran was really standing there, watching her as she approached, dressed in black from head to toe. Why does he have to look so damned hot in black! Sakura eliminated that thought, for in that precise second, she ran into Syaoran, who picked her up and twirled her around, movie-style. It was truly a beautiful sight; both teens were laughing, they're eyes twinkling with happiness and love. And for the first time, Syaoran looked into Sakura's eyes and saw the love she had for him, while Sakura also found the same feeling in the boy's eyes. Without any further thought, Syaoran put Sakura down, and they leaned in until their lips met in a kiss so sweet, they could practically taste the sugar in their mouths. Both magicians had dreamt, waited for this moment for so long, they did not wanted it to end. But it had to.  
  
When they pulled apart, Syaoran took Sakura's face in his hands, and pressed his forehead against hers. They were gazing at each other, wearing identical 100-watt smiles. There was no need to say anything, but they spoke anyways.  
  
"Sakura, I love you."  
  
"I know. I love you too, Syaoran."  
  
"I know"  
  
"I missed you so much!."  
  
"I know. I missed you even more!"  
  
"Promise me we'll never be apart again."  
  
"I promise you." They both laughed, just for the joy of it. They were so focused on each other, that they failed to notice the rest of their friends, who had joined the rest of the crowd that had formed around them. However, they came back to their senses when they heard the cheers, claps and whistles. The two teens turned around and looked at the crowd, a slight blush on their faces, and they were able to distinguish a somewhat familiar red light among the people.  
  
"Kawaii!"  
  
_*End of Flashback*_  
  
Gradually, Syaoran's memories turned into dreams. And he was lost in a deep sleep. And this time, so unlike the last three months, he rested peacefully; he was back home, and life was finally re-starting. He would not forget Sakura, but now, he could remember her and feel more bliss, and less sorrow. Sorrow which, he was sure, would one day disappear completely.  
  
There! Whew! Those were almost ten pages… that's the most I've written. I was planning to stop after they left the Kinomoto's house, but I figured I'd put the flashback in there too because, so far, the fic was depressing, even to me. But that's a good thing, right? It is, after all, supposed to be a drama… Anyways, I think most of you have realized by now what I'm planning to do. I'm going to tell two stories at a time: On one side, S&S's story, and on the other, Syaoran's and his kid's story. So, no matter how sad it might get (which wont be much, hopefully), you can always count on one happy, long flashback per chapter.  
  
Up next: New Year's Reunion & Sakura's Sweet Sixteen!  
  
Please, please, review! Even flames are welcome. I just want to know someone is actually reading this, otherwise I'll feel really stupid. You don't want me to feel stupid, do you? *blinks innocently*  
  
Ciao, bambinos! 


	3. Prom Night: Clichés Included

         Okay, I finally overcame my laziness and wrote this chapter. I hope you like it! One more thing, I have no idea how to write baby talk, so you'll have to imagine Kai talking like a 3-year old. I will write his dialogues normally, and you'll do the rest, ok?

         Another thing. I know I said that in this chapter we'd have Sakura's Sweet Sixteen, but I need to re-arrange a couple of things. I made a mistake in the last chapter; Syaoran didn't return at fifteen, but at sixteen, which means Sakura already was sixteen! So, instead, I'm doing prom night. Also, I need to get to their wedding in the fifth chapter, so I need to hurry up!

Disclaimer: _ Kirjava's To Do List:_

· Finish play script ___check!_

· Get materials for summer course____check!_

· Give dog a bath. ____ (*splash*) _check_

· Finish making dinner__ (*fire engine's siren*) _check _(*cough*)

· Buy the copyrights to Card Captor Sakura.

See… I don't own CCS… not yet, anyways… I only play around with them…

Thanx to: Koneko, animegirl-mika, Twos, Kuarri, and ddd. I'm so happy you reviewed! And you liked! So happy!  Oh, and thanx also to anyone who read this but didn't review…

Oh, yeah, I changed my pen-name from kirjava to kirjava-chan… I don't know why… just felt like it… sorry if I didn't mention any other reviewers!

Key

"speech"

'_thoughts'_

*actions*

_*scene change/flashback*_ 

*** point of view change

Now and Then

_*Syaoran's Place*_

         It was New Year's Eve, and Syaoran was engaged in a violent fight with his tie. And so far, the tie was winning. But Syaoran was not about to give up so easily. He took it by both ends and mercilessly knotted it until it looked presentable. Poor tie, it never knew what hit it.

         "Yes! How do you like that?" exclaimed Syaoran.

         "Like what, Daddy?" asked Megumi as she entered her father's room and sat herself on his bed.

         "Er…nothing, sweetheart. Are you ready to leave?" Syaoran asked his daughter.

         "Yes," she said, proud to had managed to button up the back of her dress all by herself. "Look." She twirled around, revealing a very, um, creatively buttoned dress.

         "I see. Let me just straighten this up, and you'll be ready." Syaoran re-did the buttons on Megumi's dress and then picked her up, carrying her to her brother's room. Inside, he found Kai on the floor, his once white shirt now stained with chocolate. 

         "Kai! Look at you! You're all covered in chocolate!" Syaoran said, putting Megumi down and approaching his son. "Wait a minute! Where did you get the chocolate from? Did you give it to him, Megumi?" The girl shook her head. " Then how… Kai? Did you get that chocolate from Daddy's secret cupboard?" he asked him, but Kai only giggled in response, clearly delighted by annoying his father.

         Syaoran sighted, and proceeded to change Kai's clothing. 

         "Where are we going, Daddy? (see AN at the beginning)" Kai asked.

         "You and your sister are going to your grandpa's house."

         "And where will you be?" 

         "I will be at Uncle Eriol's house." 

         "Why? I want to be with Daddy?!" Kai wailed.

         "Well, because they're throwing a New Year's Eve part and they want Daddy to go. But it's only for grown-ups, and you'll get bored, so instead, you're staying with Grandpa. Besides, Nadeshiko an Sonomi will be there! And also Rioko, and Keisuke, and Nick!  Don't you wanna play with them?"

         "Yes! Let's go!" Kai said, as Syaoran finished re-dressing him, and ran out of his room, towards the front door.

_*Kinomoto Rescidence*_

         "Are you sure it's ok with you?" Syaoran asked Fujitaka.

         "Of course, don't worry. I'm much too old to be going to parties and staying up all night. I'd much rather spent New Year with my little grandchildren!" Even though Sonomi, Nadeshiko, Rioko, Keisuke, and Nick weren't really Fujitaka's grandchildren, he still treated them as such, and the kids loved him dearly.  "So you go ahead and have fun.  We will be just fine." he added, before saying good-bye to Syaoran.

_*Hiragizawa Residence*_

         Upon entering the Hiragizawa's mansion, Syaoran noted two things: 1) Not only all of Tomoeda was here, but around half of Tokio too. And 2) He knew two thirds of the people there. This was going to be a long night.

         "Syaoran! There you are! We were starting to think you weren't coming at all!"

         "C'mon, it's only 11. Don't be so exaggerated, Tomoyo!"

         "I'm sorry! Come with me, let's get a drink." Tomoyo said, dragging Syaoran to the refreshment table.

         "So, seems you and Eriol decided to invite everyone you had ever laid eyes on. " Syaoran told Tomoyo, while taking a sip of his champagne. 

         "Seems so, right? More than half the people here are business ties from the toy company, and the fashion line. The rest are either Mother's friends and their families, or our friends. I don't even know how on Earth am I going to play the polite host if I don't know half of the guests' names." Tomoyo answered.

         "Well, if they talk to you,  ask how's work. That will undoubtedly get them in a long monologue. If you listen long enough, you might figure out who they are." Syaoran said, laying his glass in the table.

         "Great idea! How did you know?"

"Years of practice." Syaoran answered.

"Well, thanks! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll go bore myself to death, I mean, attend to my guests." And with that, Tomoyo strolled off. 

         Syaoran spent the next hour talking with a lot of different executives, whose companies had dealings with the Li companies. Being the leader of his Clan, Syaoran was the president of the Li Enterprises, which consisted of about 13 different companies, in several different fields of work. Needless to say, he was a very important executive, known world-widely. He had even been in TIME magazine's cover. Twice.

         Around three minutes to twelve, Eriol stood on the stage were the band was playing, Tomoyo at his side, each holding yet another glass of champagne. "If I may have your attention. It is now 11:58. Tomoyo and myself would like to thank you for coming here tonight and receiving the New Year with us. It's been a very long year. Lots of things have happened… Some great, and some not quite so good. All in all, each new year holds a promise of a fresh start. Embrace it. And without further ado…" Eriol turned around, signaling for the drummer to accompany him. Bells started to ring.

         The whole crowd shouted together. "10…  9… 8… 7… 6… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1! Happy New Year" Every guest raised his/her glass and drank to the New Year and the blessings it may bring. Couples kissed passionately, and friends embraced. Then the music started. It was " I Honestly Love You" by Olivia Newton John. 

         Eriol took Tomoyo in his arms and they started to dance slowly, feeling the beat of the music deep within themselves, being careful of not bumping into any of the other couples on the dance floor, yet not really aware of them, their eyes never leaving each other. They were truly in love, on some place far away, only the two of them.

         Takashi and Chiharu were dancing nearby. Chiharu's head was leaning on her husband's shoulder, her eyes closed, sighting dreamily occasionally. Tak's head was placed on top of Chiharu's, his nose on her hair, inhaling the sweet smell of roses of her brown curls. The couple was moving side to side, not really dancing, but merely mimicking the beat of the slow tune. 

         Naoko was  dancing with her husband Kenshin. This couple was dancing with their foreheads pressed together, muttering sweet words of love, their eyes full of bliss. Rika was standing nearby, not dancing, but chatting with some blond guy, and loving every minute of it. He asked her to dance, and she obliged.

         Syaoran stood alone at the edge of the dance floor. Several ladies asked him for a dance, but he politely declined their invitations, without even realizing it. His mind was thousands of miles away. Twenty years away, to be exact, re-living a very special occasion for both him and his Ying Fa: Prom Night.

_* flashback*_ 

(AN: Same rules as last time apply: 3rd point of view. It's Prom Night in high school-that's what it's called, right? Before college?-, meaning they're around 18 or 19… I'm not sure… Also, please excuse any mistakes I might make while describing the Prom, as I'm only 14, and, consequently, have never been to one… Also, I'm not exactly a master of detail, so you might not be able to picture the dresses… If you want to see the pictures I drew of them, just e-mail me at _kirjava_ffn@yahoo.com.mx_ !)

         Syaoran was driving through Tomoeda, on his way to Sakura's house. The clock on his car's dashboard read 7:38 when he parked his car in front of the Kinomoto residence. He was a little over half an hour late, which should have given Sakura enough time to finish getting ready.  Syaoran got out of the car and headed to the front door, were Sakura's father, Fujitaka, let him in.

         "Good evening, Kinomoto-sensei,"

         "Good evening to you too, Syaoran. Sakura is almost ready… I think. I'll go get her for you." Fujitaka left Syaoran in the living room, and went Sakura.

         "Gaki? What are you doing here?" Touya asked as he entered the living room. "And what's with the penguin suit?"

         "Hello to you too, Touya." Syaoran answered with a slight frown. "I came to pick up Sakura."

         "For what?"

         "Prom."

         "Oh no, you're not taking her to the prom. I know what happens at proms-"

         "Yeah, I bet you and someone do." Syaoran interrupted.

         "Don't insinuate anything on me, Gaki. She's not going, especially not with you. And that's final."

         "Syaoran!" Both men turned towards the staircase, where Sakura was now standing. 'She looks gorgeous', Syaoran thought, his jaw dropping.  Her hair was loose, with occasional tiny braids flowing through it, along with some soft curls. The dress was forest green. The sleeves fell softly on her shoulders (think Jasmine from 'Aladdin'), and the dress accentuated her slim figure until the waist, from where it flowed, layer upon layer of gauze.  'Tomoyo did a damn good job on the dress', he thought. Not that it mattered. She could have wore rags and still look stunning. 

         "Close your mouth, Gaki, you're going to get flies in there." That snapped Syaoran out of his daze. He walked towards Sakura, bowed, and kissed her hand, Eriol-style. 

         "You look beautiful, Sakura" he said, looking at her eyes. She giggled and said, "Thank you, Syaoran," then bent down to kiss him softly on the lips. 

         "Hey, hey, hey! Break it up, you too!" Touya pulled Syaoran back. "And you," he said, referring to Sakura, "you're not going anywhere"

         "But onii-chan! " Sakura said.

         "Touya, leave your sister alone" Fujitaka said, scolding Touya.

         "But-"

         "No buts."

         "Thanks, Daddy!" Sakura hugged her father.

         "Now you go ahead and have fun." Fujitaka said, releasing his daughter. "You look very pretty. Just like your Mother."

         "Thank you! Bye, Dad! Bye, Onii-chan!" Sakura answered, dragging Syaoran out the door.

         "Remember: no kisses, hugs, holding hands, or any physical contact at all!" Touya yelled at them. "And no dancing, either!" He was completely ignored.

***

         In the car, Sakura was in a daze. Now that she was out of her brother's sight, she could properly drool over Syaoran and how fine he looked in a tux. It fitted him perfectly, making him look elegant  and very hot.  Currently, the three top buttons of his shirt where unbuttoned, giving him an 'James Bond, eat your heart out' overall effect. His hair was messed up, as always, and Sakura doubted he had tried to brush it. 

         "Hey," Syaoran said, as they pulled into the school parking lot. "I got something for you." He gave her a box he had been keeping under the driver's seat.

         "Oh, you didn't have to!" Sakura said, as she opened the box. Inside, she found a set of matching necklace, earrings and ring, all made of white gold. The earrings where long, from which two emeralds dangled.  The necklace's chain seemed to be made of three different chains, all braded together. It had an emerald pendant dangling from it. The ring seemed to be braided too, and it had an emerald mounted on it. The complete set was very simple, but looked classy and lovely. It was also very expensive. "Oh my God! These are beautiful! Thank you!" Sakura said, hugging Syaoran.

         "I'm glad you liked them. I chose them myself, so they would go together with your dress." He answered.

         "Thank you. I love them! Could you help me put the necklace on?" 

         "Of course, my lady." He said, putting her the necklace. " Now, let's go."

***

         When they entered the gym, they where amazed by what a wonderful job Rika and the rest of the decorations committee had done. The gym looked gorgeous. And it was packed. Although the music was blaring, nobody was dancing yet, they were eating. 

         Syaoran and Sakura headed to their friend's table, where they had saved them a seat. The guys (Eriol, Yamasaki, Kenshin [Naoko's date], and Yang [Rika's date] ) where all wearing tuxedos. The girls wore beautiful dresses, all made by Tomoyo. Chiharu's was cerulean blue, Naoko's pale yellow, Rika's strawberry red, and Tomoyo's indigo blue (See AN at the beginning of the flashback). 

"Hi, everyone!" Sakura greeted the, as Syaoran pulled out a chair for her to sit in.

         "You guys are finally here," Naoko said, "We were starting to worry."

         "Sorry, but you know Sakura…" Syaoran answered, getting a glare from Sakura. "What? You were late."

         "So were you," Sakura told him.

         "But I was late on purpose because I knew you were going to be late and In didn't want to be around Touya for longer than its necessary."

         "Oh. Okay then."

         "Okay."

         "Sakura-chan! What kawaii jewelry you're wearing!" Tomoyo said.

         "Thanks! Syaoran gave it to me right now."

         "It's gorgeous! " Chiharu exclaimed, then turned to Yamasaki. "Why don't you ever do anything like that!" All the table sweatdropped, but continued talking. After a couple of minutes, Kenshin said, "It's weird nobody's dancing yet."

         "That's because they haven't announced the King and Queen yet!"  Rika pointed out.

         "So?" Yang asked.

         "Traditionally, the winning couple have the first dance." Yamasaki stated (AN: I know that's not necessarily true, but please, bear with me, oks?) "Did you know that this tradition began on the very first prom, which was held by the ancient Babylonians? Since they didn't know how to dance, aliens from the planet Mercury visited them. The King and Queen of the Aliens showed them how to…"

         "Lies, all lies!" Chiharu yelled, as she used her mallet on him.  

         "That wasn't true?" Syaoran and Sakura asked at the same time. Everyone sweatdropped.

         "Could I have your attention, please?"  A voice said through the speakers. "Would the student body presidents, Eriol Hiragizawa and Tomoyo Daidouji take the stage?" Eriol and Tomoyo stood up and climbed unto the stage.

         "So, I take it we're ready to begin?" Eriol asked.

         "Yes!" Tomoyo answered "As you know, this year our class has achieved a whole lot of things none of the others could."

         "Because we're the best!" Eriol was answered by cheers.

         "Right. Anyways, there was the musical production, the soccer tournament in Miami- which we won-, the basketball one in LA- which we also won, the numerous fundraisers- including the fashion show. Kawaii!-, the Knowledge tournament in London, the JASON in Death Valley,…"

         "Yadda, yadda, yadda… but you know all this stuff, right? So let's just skip it and go straight to the point so we can start dancing." 

         "Hey!" Tomoyo interrupted "You forgot the crappy, MTV Movie Awards-wannabe introductions!"

         "I didn't forget them. I skipped them because I don't like them."

         "Oh. Okay."

         "So, the King and Queen were chosen by you, through your supposedly secret votes. You chose taking in account the looks, the personality, the brains- well, maybe not the brains, but they shouldn't be stupid, and a bunch of other attributes."

         "So, in short, tonight's couple should be the most sought after, right?" Tomoyo asked the audience.

         "And  the winners are…" Eriol took the envelope and he and Tomoyo opened it.

         "Oh ho ho ho ho" Tomoyo said when she saw the couple, "This will be so kawaii! This year' King is… Li Syaoran!"

         "And his Queen is… Sakura Kinomoto!" (AN: Bet you saw that one coming a mile away!) A spotlight  shone on the couple, while the gym erupted in applause. Syaoran and Sakura were both blushing, but they looked happy enough. "Hey, you have to come up here!" Eriol informed them.

         They joined Eriol and Tomoyo on the stage- rather reluctantly on Syaoran's part-, where they were crowned with a bunch of exaggerated gestures on Eriol's part. Then, they climbed off the stage, and the music began.  It was a fairly old song: "I Knew I Loved You" by Savage Garden; one of Sakura's favorites. (AN: Song lyrics have a at the front… does anyone know how to upload italics?? Please, tell me!)

         As the first notes of the song began playing, Syaoran took one of Sakura's hands in his, and placed his other hand at her waist, while Sakura placed her other hand at her shoulder.

Maybe it's intuition  
But some things you just don't question  
  


The couple started dancing, their steps reminiscent of waltz; they weren't just swaying in place. 

Like in your eyes  
I see my future in an instant

Sakura's head had been lying on Syaoran's chest, but, prompted by the lyrics of the song, Sakura looked up to Syaoran, her eyes getting lost in his.

  
And there it goes  
I think I've found my best friend

I know that it might sound more than a little crazy  
But I believe 

Syaoran held Sakura's gaze, and began to sing softly. He knew this song; it had been one of the ones with which Syaoran had serenaded Sakura on her past birthday.

  
I knew I loved you before I met you  
I think I dreamed you into life  
I knew I loved you before I met you  
I have been waiting all my life  
  


Sakura sighted; she loved to hear Syaoran sing. 'It's funny', she thought, 'that I can relate to a song that is so opposite to how Syaoran and I acted when we first met… Or maybe not. Perhaps I always loved Syaoran and I was simply too blind to see it. It doesn't matter; I love him now and I will love him forever. And that's what counts.' 

  
There's just no rhyme or reason  
Only this sense of completion  
  


In this moment, Syaoran was truly happy; he was even smiling! Come to think of it, that wasn't so rare anymore. Every time he was close to Sakura, the corners of his mouth would turn up all by themselves. Truly, they were made for one another. Even those who didn't have magic and therefore couldn't see how their auras mixed together could tell. It was something in the way they looked at each other.

And in your eyes  
I see the missing pieces  
I'm searching for  
I think I've found my way home  
  


I know that it might sound more than a little crazy  
But I believe  
  


Sakura thought about how lucky she was. She had someone who loved her very much, someone willing to die for her, someone who wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. And, best of all, that someone was Syaoran.

  
I knew I loved you before I met you  
I think I dreamed you into life  
I knew I loved you before I met you  
I have been waiting all my life

  
Syaoran twirled Sakura; he loved to dance with her. They always made an spectacle when they danced because of how synchronized they looked. Almost as if they could foretell what step the other wanted to do next. Sakura always knew what he was thinking, and why. She knew him thru and through, just like he knew her. And he wouldn't have it any other way. 

  
A thousand angels dance around you  
I am complete now that I've found you  
  


'I love you', they thought simultaneously.

  
I knew I loved you before I met you  
I think I dreamed you into life  
I knew I loved you before I met you  
I have been waiting all my life

As the song faded,  Syaoran twirled Sakura one last time, and then dipped her. She looked adoringly at him, and them kissed him: one long, loving kiss.

_* end of flashback*_

The song ended, and a new one began. With a sight, Syaoran turned around and, glass in hand, went to the balcony.

Hey! Did you like it?  It's 14 pages long! I'm so tired… I've been writing this chapter since forever! And it's not even complete yet! What I mean is, this is only part one of the New Year's Party (it includes 2 flashbacks)… Originally, I was putting both in the same chapter, but I wanted to update as soon as I could… It's been a month already! But, for what it's worth it, I promise that I will try and make the next update within less than 2 weeks! 

Okay, more legal stuff: I don't own the song "I Knew I Loved You". Savage Garden (which I don't own, wither) does. And the JASON Project is owned by a bunch of scientists, not me.

I know the song I chose is relatively old, but it's a ballad and I love it! Oh, the term 'dipped'… no idea if it's correct. In Spanish, we call it 'quebarla'… But you know what I mean, right? And, also, I apologize for the use of 1779 clichés… I just couldn't help myself! I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff… but, you don't mind, do you? 

As always, please review! I love reviews! Or if you'd rather e-mail me, my mail is kirjava_ffn@yahoo.com.mx (I know I said that already, but I see no harm in writing it again!) PLEASE REVIEW! Even if it's just blank… I just want to know someone is actually reading this… because otherwise it's like talking to myself… 

Up Next: New Year's Party II --  Group Remembrance and Syaoran's Birthday (or Eriol drunk…). Plus- Kero's Re-Appearance


	4. Why Cops and Drinks Don't Mix

Hello! I'm so happy I got reviews! So happy… Thanks to Jesus Freak, corky, Vanilla, Emerald Phoenix524, anime-girl mika, Sakura_miaka, Wolf Angel, Joey, Summer Rain, BianHu, and cm2! 

I'm sorry this chapter took so long (and its on the lousy side…)… I've been having problems with my parents… they don't want me to keep writing…. Also, there was vacations and my GIGANTIC writer's block…And then, when I finally knew what to write, I got really sick (something about my throat) a my head hurt like crazy… so much I couldn't even focus on the words in a book, let alone manage to use the computer long enough to write a chapter!

But I'm okay now!… I think…

Right… about Kai and Megumi missing Sakura… I was planning to go into that in a few more chapters. As you can tell, I'm exclusively focusing on Syaoran right now. Also, I think Kai is a bit too young to completely comprehend what death is… and Megumi is in denial (you know, something like: 'Mom is away on a business trip but she'll be back in time for my birthday'). But, if you think I should include that now, I will! 

Eriol drunk… just thought it would be funny to write about that. I'm not exactly crazy about him… as you will be able to tell by this chapter.  Sorry to all Eriol fans!… 

Kero's reappearance… I just noticed I hadn't written what had happened to Kero and the cards (I hadn't even thought about it!)… so I'll see what I can make up.

Right, I'm sorry about the last chapter, I know it sucked! I'll try and re-write it soon.

Thanx to Jesus Freak and Emerald Phoenix524 for telling me about the italics!

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS. I only play around with them. I don't think Clamp minds, though… they didn't mind when Nelvana butchered CCS, did they? 

Oh, right… in case you don't remember, this is the second part to the New Year's party!

Key

"speech"

'_thoughts'_

*actions*

_*scene change/flashback*_ 

*** point of view change

Now and Then

__*Hiragizawa Residence*__

            As Syaoran stood in the balcony, he heard noises behind him. He turned around, and there stood a woman. She was almost as tall as Syaoran, with jet-black hair and blue eyes. Her face was pleasant, almost as if she was constantly smiling. 

            "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know anyone was here!" she said.

            "That's okay. You can stay if you want." Syaoran told her.

            "Thank you. I'm Chang Miyoshi."

            "Li Syaoran." 

            "Oh, I know you! We met in that convention… where was it? New York?"

            "Oh, right. You're from… what was it? Tokyo Inc.? "(AN: Lame names… I know it!)  

            "Right. What are you doing here? Business ties?"

            "Not really. I'm friends with Eriol and Tomoyo."

            "Oh. Same here."

            "What are you doing out here, anyways? Party got a bit too wild for your tastes?"

            "Actually, no. It's just that… everyone's dancing all cutesy and stuff."

            "I gather you don't like sap, then."

            "It's not that. I got nothing against a little fluff here and there… it just makes me feel so out of place. Kind of alone, you know?"

            "Yeah, I know." Syaoran answered, fingering the medallion that hung around his neck. "No date?"

            "Divorced."

            "Oh, I'm sorry."

            "Don't be. I'm not." Miyoshi told him, and then took a long sip of wine. "So, what's your story?"

            "I'm a wi-" Syaoran couldn't bring himself to say he word. He tried again. "Wido-. Sakura, my wife, passed away almost 4 months ago." 

            "Oh, gosh! I didn't know! I'm sorry!"

            "Thank you." They stood in silence for awhile, Syaoran thinking about Sakura yet again. "So… I thought you lived in New York?" he asked, trying to stir the conversation away from Sakura. He didn't think breaking down would look good in a business man, especially in front of a fellow executive.

            "I do. My family lives in Tokyo, though. I came for the holidays, bumped into Tomoyo, and she convinced me to come here!"

            "Oh. When are you going back?"

            "Actually, I'm planning on staying in Tokyo for at least six months. There's a big account coming up at work, and I'd rather be here than deal with it from afar."

            "Oh."

            "Syaoran! There you are!" Eriol entered the balcony. He noticed Miyoshi. "Oh, hi, Miyoshi! Didn't see you there. Mind if I borrow Syaoran for awhile?"

            "Not at all. I was about to get going anyways. " she said, leaving. "It was good seeing you again, Syaoran." Syaoran was a bit startled by her use of his first name, but dismissed the thought almost immediately. "Look me up next time you're in Tokyo! We'll do lunch!" And with that, she left.

            "I see you haven't completely lost your touch."  Eriol told Syaoran. 

            "I have no idea what you mean. But, then again, I almost never do."

            "Oh, please, 'We'll do lunch!' ? That woman was shamelessly flirting!"

            "I don't think so." Syaoran told Eriol "Besides, it's not as if I'm interested in her or anything. I, my friend, have a one-track mind."

            "That's the spirit!"

***

            It was much, much later that night (or morning) that most of the guests had left, leaving only Syaoran, Yamasaki, Chiharu, Rika, Naoko, and Kenshin.  The 6 of them, along with Eriol and Tomoyo, were now sitting in the living room, just chatting. Syaoran took this chance to see just how life had treated him and his friends.  Eriol and Tomoyo were married, and they had Nadeshiko and Sonomi, the eight year old twins. Chiharu and Yamasaki had married also, and they had seven-year-old Keisuke and four-year-old Rioko.  Plus, Chiharu was pregnant again. Naoko and Kenshin had no kids of their own. But, they had adopted eight-year-old Nick when he was a baby, and they loved him dearly. Rika… Well, Rika had gotten married to Terada-sensei, but, unfortunately, that hadn't worked out very well. They had gotten a divorce after 3 years of marriage Since then, Rika had had several relationships. Currently, she was seeing Yang. Rika and Yang had been friends since… well, forever, but they had never dated seriously until now. Syaoran was sure they were going to end up married. 

            Syaoran sighted. All his friends had somebody. He felt like the odd one out.  He reached for another glass of champagne, and tuned back into the conversation.

            "And the guy's, like, 'Huh?', so me and Tak just turn around and walk away all slowly and trying not to laugh!" The whole gang laughed at the end of Chiharu's story.

            "You know, we should do this more often." Rika said.

            "Do what?" Kenshin asked.

            "This." Rika answered.

            "Oh. That's informative." Eriol said.

            "I mean, get together at night, like this. We used to do it all the time."

            "I know what you mean." Tomoyo said. "We used to play Taboo, and Cuban domino and a bunch of other games…"

            "Yes…" Syaoran said. "I remember playing Poker!"

            "You would!" Chiharu said. "You won all the time!"

            "I still say you have a betting problem." Kenshin told Syaoran.

            "I do not!"  

            "Right, Syaoran."  Naoko said in a somewhat sarcastic tone. "Why did we stop, anyways?"

            "Well, " Yamasaki explained, "after you guys went to Kyoto, and Eriol and Tomoyo kept traveling between here and London, and then the whole Hong Kong business with Syaoran and Sakura…" Yamasaki trailed off, wondering if he'd made a mistake in mentioning Sakura. Everyone turned to look at Syaoran. The silence lasted a complete minute.

            "It's okay, guys!" Syaoran told them, somewhat quietly. "You don't have to avoid mentioning Sakura. I'm… I'm okay now. And, besides, she was your friend too, and if you can talk about her without being depressed, then so can I. Besides, I think about her all the time, whether you mention her or not." He punctuated his speech by drinking the last of his champagne and reaching for another glass, this time of wine. "And," he added, "I think it would be a great idea to continue having the 'Poker Nights'!"

            "We're glad you're okay, Syaoran." Chiharu told him. Everyone had been very worried about Syaoran ever since the decease. Everyone could see how much he had loved his wife, and they were concerned that, with her gone, he might be forced over the edge. Thankfully, no such thing happened. "And, I'm all in for 'Poker Nights'!" Everyone agreed to this.

            "How about we get together every Saturday night?" Rika asked. The gang nodded.

            "Sounds good to me," Naoko said, "Where?"

            "My place is fine." Syaoran said, putting his glass down and reaching for another one.

            "Okay then, Syaoran's place it is!" said Tomoyo. "And Syaoran," she added, taking his glass away, "I think you've had more than enough champagne/wine for one week, let alone one night."

            "Hey!" Syaoran protested.

            "Having high alcohol tolerance isn't an excuse to drink so much!"

            "She's right, you know." Kenshin told him.

            "I know. It's just that I think she should be more concerned about _somebody else_ drinking!" Syaoran added, glancing at Eriol meaningfully.

            "You're never going to let me leave that one down, are you?"  Eriol asked him.

            "Nope." And he wouldn't. It had happened on Syaoran's nineteenth birthday.

 __* flashback*__

(AN: You know the drill: 3rd person point of view, bla, bla, bla…)

            It was one particularly hot July evening, the weather made only tolerable by the cool breeze that swept through the park. Not that the current weather was something of particular interest to Sakura, as she roller bladed through the previously mentioned park, hand in hand with her boyfriend, Syaoran. Actually, it could have been snowing purple snow, and the girl wouldn't have even noticed. One reason was the guy standing next to her, who happened to not only be incredibly good looking, but also had the added bonus of being able make everything seem perfect, at least to her.

            The other reason was that she was far too worried about the surprise party she and her friends were preparing for the sorcerer at her side to worry about much else. In fact, she almost didn't notice when, at that moment, Syaoran tripped over seemingly nothing and ended up sprawled on the floor for about the sixth time that day.  

            "Sweetie! Are you okay?" She asked him in a concerned tone.

            "I'm fine," he answered, standing up with a little trouble, "but I don't understand why we have to roller blade! I don't think I like it." Sakura concealed a giggle; her boyfriend wasn't very skate-friendly. "We've been skating for 3 hours!" he continued, "Can we go home now?" Sakura was about to say no, when she noticed the time, 8:35. Surely by now Tomoyo, Eriol, and the others had finished preparing Syaoran's apartment for the party.

            "Okay, you win, we'll go home now." She told him, and, grabbing him by the hand, skated off in the direction of his apartment.

**at Syaoran's apartment 1 hour earlier**

            "Lies all lies!" Chiharu tried to shut up Takashi for the fourth time in the last 2 hours.  Bringing all the stuff for the party and arranging it in Syaoran's apartment had proven to be quite the chore, what with Takashi lying all the time and Chiharu attacking him and Naoko and Yang re-arranging Syaoran's furniture and Rika and Tomoyo going all *kawaii* over the pictures in Syaoran's albums an Eriol searching through Syaoran's room, trying to find evidence from his cute descendant's and his cute daughter's, as he called them, 'evil deeds'. Kenshin was sitting on a couch, trying, unsuccessfully, not to get a headache.  Thankfully, everything for the party was ready now. Currently, they were just waiting for a couple more of their fellow students to arrive.

**1 Hour Later, outside Syaoran's Apartment** 

            "Syaoran, wait up!" Sakura hurried to catch up with Syaoran, as he climbed up the stairs to his apartment. 

            "Hurry up! We have only half and hour to get ready!"

            "Ready? For what?"

            "I made reservations at that restaurant you like! I though we could have dinner and then maybe a walk on the beach. " Syaoran told her, while looking for his keys. _Oh, Kami. He didn't know about the party and made plans! I hope it wasn't anything fancy…_  "Wait, Syaoran! I want to give you your present!"

            "Now?"

            "Yes, now." And with that, she gave him a long, narrow box wrapped in newspaper cut-offs. Syaoran tore through the paper, revealing a white box. He opened it, and inside found a crystal medallion in a gold chain. The medallion was round, and had an engraving featuring the Moon and a star. Very appropriate. 

            "Wow, Sakura, thi-"

            "Read the inscription!" The inscription on the back of the medallion read _'For Eternity'_. Syaoran felt a lump for in his throat; Sakura, the love of his life, wanted to be with him for eternity.  He was so happy! That also made him even more decided to finally show to Sakura the small, black box he had been carrying around in his pocket for about three months. Tonight. 

            "Sakura… it's beautiful. Thank you." he said, putting it around his neck. 

            "Do you really like it? I was worried that you might think it was girl stuff or something…"

            "I love it." Syaoran told her, bringing his face close to hers and kissing her softly. "And I love you." He whispered in Sakura's ear, sending waves of pleasure down her spine. She leaned forward once again, her lips meeting his in a passionate embrace that lasted quite a few minutes, until Sakura remembered the almost 40 persons waiting on the other side of the door and broke off the kiss. "I love you even more." She told him, and, taking his keys, opened the door.

            The apartment was completely dark as Syaoran entered after Sakura, reaching for the light switch almost automatically. He turned on the lights. From behind the furniture, inside the kitchen and the bedrooms popped out his friends, and quite a few of his classmates, all shouting.

            "Surprise! Happy birthday!"

            "ACK!" went Syaoran, "What are you all doing here?"

            "It's a surprise party, silly," Sakura told him.

            "Hence the 'Surprise!'" Eriol contributed.

            "Party?" asked Syaoran, still quite dumbfound.

            "Yeah, party. You know? Dancing, music, food, presents, drunkenness, stri-" Yang stated, but was interrupted by Rika, who hit him upside-down in the head.

            "I know what a party is.." Syaoran told Yang. "Thanks, guys! It is real nice of you."

            "Thank Sakura, it was her idea." Said Chiharu.

            "Oh, was it?" he asked, giving Sakura a sudden hug and a quick peck on the lips. "Thank you."

            "You're welcome, sweetie."

            "Kawaii!" The 'Eye of Satan' was out and rolling. 

            "Did you know that parties originated in South America, were the ancient Mayan cultures celebrated once a year the arrival of the two-headed bulldogs from the Amazon river by-"

            "Stop lying!"

            "Argh!"

            The party went well. People talked, laughed, ate, dance, made fun of one another, embarrassed themselves, and did all the other things people tend to do at parties. At one point of another, Eriol approached the refreshments table and, feeling very thirsty, drank a whole glass of Coke in a single gulp. Now, maybe Eriol was feeling tired ,or maybe it was because Tomoyo was dancing right in front of him, or perhaps he was just careless, but the fact remains that he was unable to detect the taste of alcohol in his drink. It so happened that Eriol's alcohol tolerance was quite low. Feeling even thirstier, he took glass after glass, getting quite drunk.

            As he was standing by the table wondering about the pink elephants dancing the 'Macarena', he was joined by Syaoran, who didn't notice his ancestor's bewildered look and took a glass of soda. He, too, didn't notice the alcohol in the drink. They were soon joined by Tomoyo.

            "Tomosho, shweetie!" Eriol exclaimed, " Whatch are shou doing? Shouldn't shou be danching witch all thoshe pretty elephants?"

            "What?" Tomoyo inquired, taking a sip from her drink, and immediately spitting it back into the glass. "What is this thing?"

            "Er… soda?" Syaoran answered.

            "No… it tastes like alcohol… Oh, Kami-sama, someone spiked the drinks!" Tomoyo exclaimed, getting attention from Sakura, Kenshin, Yamasaki, and Chiharu. 

            "Alchocol shou shei?" Eriol slurred. "Ahh, that'sh funny! I shust drank  about sheventy-shix of this things! Or maybe forty-shu? Shame thing, they are sho closhe to eash other…"

            "Oh Kami, he's drunk!" Sakura said, "I can't believe somebody spiked this stuff!"

            "Who do you think it was?" asked Kenshin.

            "Eriol." Syaoran said, without any doubt.

            "Err, sweetie, Eriol's the drunk one."

            "Oh… good point."

            "Did you know that drinking originated in southern Europe, where the Medieval Kings and Queens would drink so as to attract he attention of wandering unicorns, to try and catch one?  But once, a particularly violent unicorn decided to invest in –"

            "Stop lying! Grr.. What am I going to do with you?"

"Can we concentrate, people?"  Tomoyo asked, while restraining her fianceé from climbing on top of the table, " It doesn't matter who did it. What are we going to do?"

"Let'sh buggy!"

"Shut up."

"Well," proposed Kenshin, "Syaoran and I can go buy more drinks, while you throw away all of these… No one else got drunk, right?"

"I don't think so.." Syaoran answered, "We'll take my car. Let's go."

"Perhaps you should take Eriol, " Sakura said, helping Tomoyo to get Eriol off the table, where he was dancing in a very… disturbing manner.

"Yes, get him a coffee or something…" Tomoyo said.

"Okay…" With that, Syaoran and Kenshin left, dragging a very confused Eriol with them.

***Some Time Later, Outside a Starbucks***

            "Okay, you and Eriol wait in the car, while I go get four-eyes some coffee." Syaoran left the car, and entered the coffee house. Ten minutes later, he still hadn't come back, and Kenshin was impatient. And bored.

            "You stay here," he told Eriol, "I'll go see what's taking him so long." He got out of the car and enter the cafeteria. Come to think of it, leaving drunk Eriol alone wasn't the best idea.

            Finding himself alone, Eriol decided to stretch his legs. So, he climbed out of the car and started walking.

            Right into the middle of the street.

            While he was stumbling around, a  police car approached at a high speed. The driver didn't see the drunk teen until the last minute, and had to swerve wildly to avoid hitting him, resulting in the car crashing into a nearby lamppost. Nothing serious really, but the hood of the car looked awful. Annoyed, the cop got out of the car and went towards Eriol, who was twirling around, 'The Sound of Music' style, in the middle of the street, not aware of the near-lethal experience he had just gone through.

            "Just what do you think your doing, boy!" the policeman yelled at him, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him. "I could have run you over!"

            "Shwat?" Eriol asked, dazed. The cop immediately smelled the alcohol in his breath.

            "You're drunk," he stated. "Did you walk here? Or did you drive?"

            "Shwalk? No, shir, I drove." He answered, pointing at Syaoran's black Porsche, stationed at the side of the road.

            "Walk in a straight line. " the officer ordered, testing just how drunk the young man was. Eriol tried, but ended up going in circles around the man. "Okay, I'm sorry but you're too drunk. I'll have to give you a ticket and confiscate your car-" he was cut off by Eriol.

            "No, shou lishten to me!" he said, hitting the policeman in the chest with his finger. " I shwill take shnone of thish shrap! I'm the shreat Clow Shreed, shou shtupid prat! I can do ash I pleashe! And shou can shtop me, shilly *****!" With that, he punched the policeman in the face, making him pass out.

****Inside Starbucks****

            "Hurry up!" Kenshin told Syaoran for the nth time, "I don't want to leave Eriol alone for so long!"

            "Then why did you?" Syaoran asked, finally paying for the two French vanilla cappuccinos and the extra-caffeinated extra-dark coffee, and taking them. "Besides, he can take care of himself!" Just then, they heard the police siren and hurried outside.

****Back in the Street****

            Eriol was sitting in the police car's driver seat, pretending to drive it, the siren at full blast. The officer lay unconscious on the sidewalk. 

            "Mrrrr….mrrrrrrrrr… beep, beep!" Eriol made car noises. Syaoran and Kenshin hurried to the Porsche and, seeing it empty, hurried to the crash police car on the other side of the road. The first thing they noticed was the officer lying unconscious. Kenshin went to him, while Syaoran peered into the car and spotted Eriol.

            "What the hell did you do?!" he exclaimed.

            "I did notshing! Notshing!" the blue-eyed teen answered, but kept driving.   Syaoran tried to force hi out of the car, to no avail. Syaoran surveyed the car; it was scratched, and certainly bumped, but it would work just fine. Meanwhile, the policeman was waking up.

            "Syaoran! Come here! I think he's coming back!" Kenshin called. When the policeman opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Syaoran's and Kenshin's faces.

            "Are you okay?" Kenshin asked him.

            "Yeah, " he answered getting up with both boys' help.

            "Good." Once again, the officer detected the alcohol in Syaoran's breath. Thinking the two young men were as drunk as their friend, he yelled, "You two, too! That's it! All three of you! In the car! Your going to the headquarters! And that's an order!"

****Back at Party-Central****

            "Sakura, I'm worried about the guys… They've been gone for almost two hours already!" Tomoyo exclaimed. "I hope nothing happened to them."

            "I'm sure they're fine, Tomoyo. Don't worry" Chiharu answered for Sakura. It was now around 2:30 I the morning, and most people, except for Syaoran's closest friends, had left. The phone rang.

            "That's probably them!" Yang said, while Sakura hurried to answer the phone.

            "Hello? Hi, sweetie! We were starting to get worried! Where are you?" Pause. "You're where?" Pause. "What?! Why?! Oh, Kami… Are the others with you?" Pause. "I see. Okay, I'll be right there. But when I get there, you'll have a lot of explaining to do, Li Xiao Lang! Bye!" She hung up the phone, a funny lok on her face.

            "So," Naoko asked, "where are they?"

            Sakura looked at her friends, and in an almost amazed voice, she answered "In jail…".

            "WHAT?!"

__* end of flashback*__

            It was much, much later, around 5 in the morning, that Syaoran finally entered his bedroom, after picking Kai and Megumi up, tucking them into bed, and checking every damn lock in the house. He was just about to get into bed when a voice startled him.

            ""Kid. We nee to talk." Syaoran turned around, and there stood Cerberus, the Guardian Beast of the Sakura Cards, Pocket Version.  Syaoran was surprised to see him; after Sakura's, *gulp* , death, Kero had taken the Sakura Book and flown off without any explanation.  And yet, there he was, standing on Syaoran's pillow, the pink-and-green book in his paws, and a thoughtful expression on his face.

            "What can I do for you, cotton fluff?"

            "I came… I came to return the Sakura Book."

            "???"

            Kero laid the book and key down. "For the past four months, I've been flying around the world, looking for Yue." After Sakura's decease, Yue had split apart from Yukito, flying off as mysteriously as Kero. "At last, about two weeks ago, I found him. Then, we talked about what we were to do with the Cards. Neither him nor I were sure of what to do, because Sakura hadn't left any short-term instructions, only the visions of the new owner." 

            Syaoran knew what the Guardian Beast was talking about; during her last year of life, Sakura kept having visions of two teenagers battling with magic, and she had been sure that they were to be the next Masters. Naturally, she had shared all of her visions with Syaoran, and had written them down for good measure. Syaoran spoke, "I think I see where you're going, stuffed toy. Sakura didn't have enough time to get everything ready for the next owner, so we have to prepare everything, based on her visions."

            "Yes and no. You see, Yue and I realized something: we hadn't been called back into the book when Sakura…" Kero, too, had trouble mentioning his Mistress's fate. "…Sakura d-died. We should have, but we didn't because we still had _you_ left."

            "What do you mean?"

            "What I mean, Li-kid, is that you are the Master of the Sakura Cards. You always were, in some way." Kero hurried on, before Syaoran could interrupt, "You helped her capture them, you helped her change them. Why, you even helped her create some of them!  Sure, Sakura owned the Cards, but they also obeyed you, and will continue to do so until you die. With their Mistress gone, the Cards are now your responsibility. It is you that has to make sure they get to their next owner. Sakura knew you would take care of the Cards, that's why she didn't seal the Book."  Kero picked the book up, and handed it to Syaoran to see. "She even modified the key to respond to Moon magic as well as Star magic!"

            Syaoran took some time to comprehend Kero's words (the accent didn't make it easier). Holding, the book in his hands he felt the strong pulse of Sakura's magic surrounding it, and had to bit his lip to keep from spilling a few tears; he yearned so much to feel the touch of her aura again, that the feeling of her magic seemed a cruel joke, a tease of some kind, reminding him of what he couldn't have. Still, a rebel tear spilled from his left eye, cruising down his cheek. He didn't wipe it away.

            Syaoran looked back at Kero, "I know you miss her, Kid. We all do. Even the Cards are mourning." The guardian told him. "I-It was hard for me to hold the Book too. Her-her aura in it is so, so familiar!" Kero burst into tears, sobs  shaking his tiny body. Then Syaoran did something so out of character, I might get flamed for it: he held out a hand to the little creature, which it took, and then pulled it towards him, trying to comfort him with a hug, while letting out a few tears himself.

            "You miss her a lot, too, don't you?" Syaoran told him, "It's okay, cotton fluff, it's okay. I understand." They stayed like that for a few minutes, until Kero calmed down, and Syaoran let him go. "So, it's up to us to set up things for the next Master. We'll have to go through Sakura's dream log, and see what we can't find concerning the new Masters."

            "Yes. You do that. I'll wait in the Book until you are ready to begin casting whatever magic we might need." Kero seemed a little depressed about having to re-enter the book, and Syaoran noticed it.

            "You know," the sorcerer said, "you could always stay here." Kero looked up, and Syaoran continued, "I mean, it sure must be boring to be trapped in a Book, and, besides, Kai always seemed to like you, Kami knows why. I'm sure he would be happy to see you around, and even baby-sit him."

            "Thanks, Kid, I think I will."

            "Don't mention it, stuffed animal. And I mean it, not a word about this to anyone."

            "Of course, Gaki! I got a reputation to live up to, you know!"

            "Yeah, yeah. You can sleep in Kai's room like you used too." With that, the magical beast exited the room, flying.

_*The Next Morning*_

Syaoran was in the kitchen, preparing pancakes for his children, when Megumi entered the kitchen.

            "Good morning, Dad!" she said, a little sleepily. She walked towards her father and gave him a hug.

            "Good morning, sweetie." He answered, hugging her back, and planting a kiss on the top of her head. "Did you sleep well?"

            "Kind of…" she answered slowly. "I had a dream." She continued.

            Syaoran put the last of the pancakes on a dish on the table, and sat on a chair besides his daughter. "A dream? Do you want to tell me about it?"

            Megumi nodded. " I was standing on top of a very high building, facing a tall tower. I can't remember what it's called…"

            "Tokyo Tower?"

            "Yes, that's the one. Anyways, it was nighttime, the moon was full and silvery, and the stars were specially bright. All around me, cherry blossoms were falling. It was beautiful. I was wearing my Clan outfit, I don't know why. Then, suddenly, I heard somebody calling my name. I looked up towards the tower. And there was Mom, standing there, calling my name, holding her arms out." Megumi started crying at this, and seeked refuge in her father's arms. They hugged for a few minutes, until Megumi continued.

            "I called her. I yelled her name, but she seemed not to hear me. Instead she said: 'Be brave, be strong, be you. I'll be there. Just wait.'. Then, she started fading, and I ran towards her, but I fell into the streets. Just when I was sure I was going to crash, something swooped under me. I think it was a bird; one with golden feathers and warm aura. We flew upwards, towards the moon, and then I woke up."

            Syaoran wasn't sure what to make of his daughter's dream. Sakura used to have similar prophetic dreams, though, so it was possible she might have inherited her ability.

            "I'm not sure what your dream means, sweetie, but I will try to find out. I believe it is a direct message from your mother, though, so be sure to remember it. It may be a prophetic dream. Your mother used to have them, too."  

            "Did she really?"

            "All the time." The look on Megumi's face was priceless to Syaoran, her green eyes twinkled with delight, and her mouth was curved up in a beautiful smile. His daughter was truly happy to have something in common with her mother. _Besides the dazzling smile and the shinning eyes,_ Syaoran thought.  Not for the first time, he realized how much he loved being a father; there was something about those two kids that just made his heart go boom-boom, his chest swell up with pride. There was nothing better than this.

            Just then, Kai came running down the stairs, dragging Kero by the tail. "Daddy, Daddy! Look who came back!" he shouted, running straight into his father's arms. Syaoran picked him up, tossed him into the air, and caught him. The child giggled with delight, amber eyes twinkling, same as his father. "Look, Kero came back! See, I told you he would." He showed the very dizzy guardian to Syaoran.

            "Yes, he did." He answered.

*********

            So, how did you liked it? I apologize for the flashback, I know it's not very good… but it was the last part I wrote, and I just wanted to get it over with. Hopefully, you liked the rest of the chapter. 

            The Poker Nights idea… I actually have to thank my parents for that one! They always get together with other couples on Saturdays and they stay up until 5 in the morning, playing al sort of card games, and Taboo, and a bunch of other stuff! Before you ask, no, Syaoran is not an alcoholic!

            Please, please, please, review! I really love reading them! So please, review! It only takes a minute, and it makes me very happy!

            You can e-mail any comments to me at kirjava_ffn@yahoo.com.mx 

            Adiós!

            Up next: I'm not sure… I lost my notes on the story so I have to look for them… Must likely: A Proposal and A Lazy Sunday


	5. A Note From Your Friendly Author

Hi, everyone! This is just a friendly excuse for me to re-update, so to speak, my story. Why? Because I only got 3 reviews! I want more! I worked my butt off on the last chapter! And, since I believe nobody noticed I updated, I decided to include this note. Remember, people, UPDATE! PLEASE!

Oh, and the real chapter 5 will be up sometime next week… if my history teacher stops giving so much work. 

Kirjava-chan


	6. Somettimes, Snooping Leads To Kawaii Tap...

Hello there! 

Yes, I'm actually writing before the month! And its all because of your wonderful reviews! 

 L-chan, Thanks! I'm glad you noticed the switching in the story! It's harder to write, but I think it's worth it. And I'm glad you like it! 

 BianHu, Noooooo! *runs* Don't kill me! Please! I'll write a chapter a minute! Just spare my life! Hehe.. Thank you!

 suppi,  Thank you! I'm a sucker for kawaiiness, so I try to put as much of it as I can into the story.

 x2Angelofdeath, Thanks! I try to keep Syaoran IC, but I'm not sure if he would be all stunned or enraged, so I had to guess…

 Crystalina, Really? I'd love to see it! Thanks for reviewing!

 HanaNatsu, We all love WAFF! It's the best thing since Internet! Thanks!

 Mistique, Thank you! I try! 

 cm2, You really think it's funny? That's a relief! I was afraid people were going to think it was just stupis… Thanks! And YOU better update soon, too!

 Aurelia, *giggle* THANKS! It means a lot to me, considering your 'Humor' genre preferences. And I'm so glad you like it, even if it's sad! Makes me so happy! 

VICKy, Is it really? Thank you so much! You don't know how encouraging that is! THANK YOU!

jasmine, Er… I'm sorry… I don't hate Eriol, in fact I like him well enough (he's my 3rd fave CCS character!)… I just like to annoy him! In fact, he's having an important part coming up real soon! Thanks for reviewing!

I love you all! Thanks you! Thank you! I so glad you like the story! This chapter is dedicated to you, my wonderful reviewers! 

Disclaimer: Someday, I'll own CCS. Someday, I'll own my own magazine. Someday, I'll own Microsoft. Someday, I'll own the world and control the global market, dammit! But not right now.

Key

"speech"

'_thoughts'_

*actions*

_*scene change/flashback*_ 

*** point of view change

Now and Then

__*Main Building of Li Enterprises*__

Approved. Denied. Approved. To be revised. Denied. *sight* Generally, Syaoran enjoyed his work. Well, not really, but he did have a natural knack for business, which made his work easier. However, it did not make it any faster. He rather noticed it that Saturday afternoon, anxious as he was to reach Megumi's school play, which was due to start in thirty minutes.

Approved. Approved. Approved. Consider revising. Wrong office. Denied. Approved. Finally! Syaoran crossed the last folder, and quickly stood up, leaving his office, which, by the way, was quite comfortable. It had a big mahogany desk, with a  big, comfy chair. The carpets were a deep forest green, matching the curtains in the giant window that overlooked the business section of Tokyo. The wall were covered in bookshelves, with books (duh), statuettes, and other stuff. A door led to a master bathroom. There was a also a mini-bar, along a set of couches. The overall effect was elegant, sophisticated, yet classic and powerful.

On his way out, he said goodbye to his secretary, who asked him if she could have tomorrow off.

            "Why?"      

            "Well, tomorrow's White Day and I was hoping to spend the day with my fiancée…"

            "Tomorrow? White Day? I didn't realize! Yes, you may have the day off."

            "Thank you, sir." She called after Syaoran, who was already in the elevator. White day? He didn't want to spend that particular day alone. Perhaps he could take Megumi and Kai to the Amusement Park… He'd take the rest of the kids too! He was pretty sure none of his friends would mind being alone for the holidays… He and Sakura never minded… 

            Syaoran started the engine of his car, a beautiful, brand-new, red-and-black, two-door coupe Bugatti [kirjava-chan: *starry-eyed* Ahh…*drools*].  Leaving the large underground parking lot, he hurried through Tokyo, in hopes of reaching his daughter's event in time. 

__*flashback*__

(I'm not going through the flashback rules once again. You should know them by heart, by now. Right now, everyone is 19, and in College (they are in whichever College you wish to imagine them… really doesn't matter for the purposes of this flashback). Eriol, Tomoyo, Yang, Rika, Sakura, and Syaoran are sharing a house (each one has his/her own bedroom). It's White Day.)

            The clock read 6:53 AM. Despite the un-holy hour, Tomoyo was wandering through the hallways, for no real reason at all. At least that's what she said.

            Truth be told, she was looking for her White Day present, which she was sure Eriol had hidden somewhere. She walked from the kitchen, to the living room, to the hallway to the right, in which the girl's rooms were. She passed a door with a lavender plaque that read 'TOMOYO'. That, obviously, was her room; Rika had made the plaques, and against everyone's but Sakura's best judgment, hung them on each door. 

Back to Tomoyo's quest. She already knew the present wasn't in her room, so she moved up to the next, which said 'RIKA' in magenta. She quietly opened the door, and tiptoed inside. Very quietly, as not to disturb the sleeping girl, she searched though every inch of the room. She carefully moved all the art supplies out of the way, looked through the portfolios, and everything else that laid on top of Rika's working table. Her efforts were fruitless. She left the room, closing the door behind her.

Next, she entered Sakura's room. Kero was on top of the lump on the bed that she assumed was Sakura, sleep talking about, what else, pudding. She went through Sakura's wardrobe, her drawers, and her stuffed animals. She wasn't as silent as before, though; chances were, Sakura wouldn't wake up if a train passed through her room. She moved to Sakura's desk, which was mostly covered by photographs of the her friends. There were some really cute ones of Syaoran giving Sakura a piggy back ride. Another one of Eriol and herself, sitting in a swing set. Then there was her favorite; the whole gang was lying in a grassy meadow, everyone on top of everyone else. They had had a picnic that day. Oh, well. The present wasn't here. But Tomoyo wasn't discouraged; instead, she led herself to the boys' bedrooms. 

The first one read 'YANG' in orange writing. She opened the door slowly, and stepped in. The room was a mess; clothes thrown everywhere, CDs lying on the desk, homework papers baled up and lying on the floor… On the bed was Yang, sprawled unceremoniously in the bed, the covers askew. That particular room took a lot of work; by the time she was finished, the room looked even worse than before. Tomoyo doubted Yang would notice, and moved on to the next room, which happened to be her fiancée's.

Eriol's room was order and neatness made matter; everything was in its proper place, and the room's indigo blue theme was soothing and relaxing. Tomoyo stopped a yawn. There weren't many places to look for here, since everything was in plain sight. She did anyways, and found nothing. Before leaving the room, she neared her beloved's bed, gazing at his face. She sighted; he looked just so beautiful, lying asleep. Tomoyo tucked a stand of his silky hair away from his face, and planted a soft kiss on his forehead, to which he responded with an involuntary purr. She left the room.

The last room had a green plaque, with the name 'SYAORAN'. Tomoyo grinned with anticipation; her gift was sure to be here. Her hand reached for the doorknob and… found it locked. Locked? Why the heck would Syaoran lock his door? Oh, well… Tomoyo reached for a hair pin from her carefully braided hair, and inserted it into the keyhole…

***

Sakura wasn't sure exactly what had woken her up. Perhaps, it was the dim sunlight streaming to the window or the soft chirping of the birds outside. Or maybe the low, continuous beating of somebody's heart against her ears. She opened her eyes, and her brain slowly registered where she was; on Syaoran's room, her head laying on his chest, his arms draped around her(see AN at the end). For a minute of two, she remained immobile, listening to her beloved's breath. Then, she cautiously looked at his face, only to find his warm amber eyes looking at her.

"Hey." She said.

"Hey, beautiful." he answered, his voice a bit drowsy. "Sleep well?"

"Incredibly well. You?"

"It was okay." Then, after Sakura's playful tug on his hair, he added, "Okay, great!" They stayed in comfortable silence for a few minutes, until, out of the blue, Sakura said, "I really do love you a lot, don't I?"

"You say it like it's a bad thing."

"Could be." Glare. "I'm kidding, sweetie."

"Good." He held her closer to his body in a very protective manner. Then sighted. He noticed how enchanting the scene was, the dawning sunlight playing with his bedroom's ochre and autumn shades coloring. He noticed how lovely Sakura looked, her eyes bright, a slight smile on her lips, her body relaxed, her skin soft and creamy. He could not imagine a more perfect moment than this. That's why he suddenly snapped his fingers, activating the spell Eriol had set up, at Syaoran's request, in his room. 

The soft melody that erupted from the walls startled Sakura slightly. She was also a bit puzzled as to why cherry blossom petals were suddenly falling from seemingly out of nowhere. She turned to face his beloved, an inquire ready on her lips, when she noticed the small black box on his hand. Her breath caught in her throat; this was it. She knew what was coming. 

And she couldn't wait for it.

Syaoran allowed himself a small smile, enough to hide his nervousness. He looked into Sakura's eyes, only half-aware of the fact that she knew what he was about to say. "Sakura," he started, taking her hand into his. "I love you so much, there are no words to describe it. You make me feel happier than I ever thought possible.  With you, everyday is perfect, the sun always shines, the wind always smells sweet.  I bless the day I was sent to Japan, bless the day I met you, bless the moment I first saw you smile, the moment I fell in love with you, the first time I kissed you. I can't imagine life without you, and I don't want to. That's why I want you to be my wife. Will you, Sakura Kinomoto?" He opened the black box to reveal a beautiful engagement ring.

Sakura was in ecstasy, tears of joy were in her eyes, and her voice was caught in her throat. Yet, she knew the answer to Syaoran's question. 

***

            There. The lock had finally given in. Tomoyo twisted the handle, and opened the door. She was greeted by a curious sight. Petals were raining inside the room, and there was a soft music coming from the walls. In the bed, Sakura and Syaoran were sitting side by side, holding hands, not even aware of her presence. Then, Sakura exclaimed, "Yes! I'll marry you! I love you! I'll marry you! Yes! Yes! Yes!" and threw herself into Syaoran's arms, crying tears of joy, the young man's arm enveloping her, a beautiful smile on his lips.

            It took Tomoyo's clever brain 5 seconds to decipher what she had just witnessed. When she did, she could not but hold back an outburst. It was hard. She could do it. She was mighty. She was decided. She was- "KAWAII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Out of nowhere, Tomoyo wiped out her camcorder.

__*end flashback*__

            Syaoran's train of thought was cut short by his arrival to Tomoeda Elementary (AN: name?). He was lucky enough to find a parking space for his gorgeous car very quickly. He got out of the car, being careful not to squish the bouquet of flowers he was carrying, and ran to the auditorium, almost knocking Terada-sensei (who was now headmaster) over. 

            "Sorry!" Syaoran called behind his back, as he dashed into the theater. Squinting in the darkness, he managed to see Tomoyo, Eriol, Naoko, Kenshin, Yamasaki and Chiharu sitting in the third row. They had saved him a seat. As Syaoran sat down, the curtains pulled apart, and the play began.  

            As soon as the play started, Syaoran, like the rest of the parents in the room, wiped out his camcorder, which Tomoyo had given him on his last birthday. It was  a unique model designed by Tomoyo and built by the technology branch of Daidouji Toys. She called it the KAWAII 3500. Very kawaii. The play was a funny one, a remake of 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears', only with a ton of original characters, cameo appearances from characters from other fairy tales and a rather amusing plot. Megumi had the lead.

            Syaoran was proud to se that his little girl was a very good actress, she moved confidently on the stage, delivering her lines perfectly. When the play was finished, the kids got a standing ovation. 

            "Sweetie, you were amazing!" Syaoran congratulated his daughter later on their way to her classroom, where they had to pick up Megumi's art projects.

            "Really?"

            "Really. I've never been so proud!"

            "Thanks, Daddy! And thank you for the flowers! They're so pretty!"

            "You're welcome, honey. I'm glad you like them."

            "Did you really like the play?"

            "I loved it! It was very funny and creative and everyone did a really good job. Especially you."

            "Thanks, Daddy! Do you know who came up with the idea? Sonomi! She always has such great ideas!"

            "She takes after her mother, then."

            "I'm flattered, Syaoran." Tomoyo said from behind him. They had arrived to the classroom. "And you, Megumi. You were a really good in that play!."

            "Thank you, Aunt Tomoyo."

            "Megumi, did you know that your parents also participated in plays when they were only a little older than you?" Eriol asked her niece. 

            "Really? Is that true?"

            "Yes. In fact, they were often the lead characters. Like in the 'Sleeping Beauty'!" Eriol continued.

            "Eriol…" growled Syaoran in a warning tone, but Eriol ignored him.

            "So mother was the princess?"

            "No; she was the prince." Tomoyo said, leaving Megumi very confused.

            "But how? Mommy was the prince… and Daddy the princess?!"

            "Great; Eriol, Tomoyo, now you've freaked her out!" exclaimed Chiharu, who had just walked by.

            "Sweetie, back when we were kids, the school wanted to do a cross-dressing play. That means that the girls had to play the boys, and the boys had to play the girls." Syaoran explained to is daughter.

            "Oh. That sounds fun!"

            "Do you want to see a picture of your father as the princess?" Without waiting for an answer, Tomoyo took out a gigantic photo album (from seemingly out of nowhere) and began to search through it. "Aha! Here it is! Photo # 1035729: Sakura-chan and Li-kun during 'Sleeping Beauty'!" Megumi took the photo; it showed her mother dressed in a blue costume, with a large musketeer-like hat. Standing beside was her Daddy, dressed in a pink gown with a gigantic yellow wig, looking rather annoyed. Megumi giggled. "Do you want to see the one of your uncle Touya?" Tomoyo asked, giving her a picture of Touya, dressed in rags as Cinderella, glaring at the camera. "Or how about this one? Or this one? I love that picture! This one's kawaii! Oh, I remember that one! An that one! KAWAII!" Tomoyo kept talking, unaware that everyone, except Eriol, was sweat dropping.

            "Daddy," Megumi whispered into Syaoran's ear, "Aunt Tomoyo scares me."

            "Yeah," he whispered back, "me too."

__*Syaoran's Place*__

            Later that night, Syaoran was tucking Megumi into bed. He adjusted the cover around Megumi, bade her goodnight, and kissed her forehead. He turned off the lights, and was about to leave the room when she suddenly spoke.

            "Daddy?"

            "Yes, sweetie?"

            "Do you think Mom would have been proud of me?" 

Syaoran smiled; he walked back to her bed and sat at the edge. Stroking her hair, he answered, "Yes, I'm sure she would have been proud of you. In fact, I'm sure that right now, she's watching us from up there," he pointed out the window and towards the sky, "and she's very proud of you."

            "Is she, Daddy?"

            "Of course she is. And she loves you very much, just like I do, too."

            "I love you too, Daddy."

            "Good night, sweetheart." Syaoran kissed her forehead once more, and walked to the door.

            "Good night, Daddy" Megumi said. Then, she looked out the window and said, "Goodnight, Mommy. I love you." Megumi was sure a star had twinkled in return,  and smiled. Then, she closed her eyes, and went to sleep. 

__*The Next Morning, On the Amusement Park*__

            "Kids! Wait up!" Syaoran ran frantically after the group of laughing children all heading for the ice cream stand. 

            "We want strawberry!" yelled Sonomi and Nadeshiko.

            "Me vanilla!" Rioko screamed.

            "Pocholate! Pocholate!" Kai chanted.

            "It's called chocolate!" Megumi corrected.

            "I want lemon, please." Nick said.

            "Especial peach with pistachio crumbs." Keisuke requested. 

            "Eww…." Was the anonymous response.

            "What? I like it!" the boy defended. Syaoran finally reached them, just in time to peal Rioko and Kai off the stand's attendant's legs. 

            "I'm really sorry." Syaoran apologized. "Now, what do you want?" he asked. 

            "Straw-"

            "Pocholate!"

            "Lemon!"

            "-berry!"

            "Moka-capuchino!" 

            "Vanilla!"

            "Peach-pistachio!"

"Eww…"

            "Hold on! One at a time!"

            "Lemon!"

            "Peach-

            "Disgusting!"

            "POCHOLATE!"

            "-Pistachio!"

            "Vani-

            "Straw-"

            "Cappuccino!"

            "-berry!"

            "-lla!"

_I'm starting to think this wasn't such a good idea…_

__*45 minutes later *__

            "So, where do you wanna go now?" Syaoran asked the kids. They'd already been to the Merry-go-Round (it had taken almost 5 minutes to remove Kai from the black unicorn), the haunted house (Rioko hadn't particularly liked that one), 3 different roller-coasters (In which Syaoran learned Nadeshiko has a very weak stomach), the boat ride (Nick and Megumi had a great time, jumping into the lake and almost giving Syaoran a coronary), the clown show (Keisuke had a joke showdown with two of the clowns-- which he won), and a play (Sonomi had loved that one!).

            "I wanna go to see the ponies!" 

            "I'm hungry."

            "They've got ponies in here?"

            "Yes!"

            "No they don't!"

            "Yes they do! And you can ride them around the park and they're really pretty and funny!"

            "KAWAII!!"

            "I'm hungry."

            "I wanna see the ponies! I want one! Daddy, will you buy me a pony?"

            "I don't thi-"

            "Silly, you can't have a pony! Ponies are supposed to live outside! Where would you keep him!"

            "Under my bed!"

            "I thought the boogie man lived in here?"

            "H-he does? DADDY!" 

            "Megumi, stop scaring yo-"

            "Why couldn't the baby ghost see his Daddy?"

            "I'm hungry!"

            "Gh-host? Uncle Syaoran, they're not real, are they?"

            "Don't worry, Nade-"

            "Because he was trans_parent_! Get it? Trans-parent!"

            "Huh?"

"That's a stupid joke!"

"No, it's not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Kids --"

"I'M HUNGRY!!!"

"Geez, no need to shout!"

"Now that you mention it, I'm kinda hungry…"

"Yeah, me too"

"So, where do you wanna eat?"

"Let's have PIZZA!"

"No, hamburgers!"

"Liver and onions on a stick!"

"Your mind's a scary place…"

"POCHOLATE!"

"You can't have chocolate! It's not real food!"

"Childr-"

"Yes it is!"

"No it's not!"

"How about hot dogs?"

"Kids,--"

"Yes it is!"

"Pizza's better!" 

            "No it's not!"

"CHILDREN!"

"Yes, Uncle/Daddy?" Answered a chorus of sweet voices.

"How a bout we go there?" he pointed to a small eating area right across from the House of Mirrors. "You can each have what you want."

"Even liver on a stick?"

"Er… I don't think so. You can ask, though. Anyways, you like pizza, don't you?"

"Yes…"

"Okay, so let's go!" Syaoran took Rioko's and Kai's hand, and walked calmly after Nadeshiko and Sonomi.

_*After Everyone Had What They Wanted and Where Eating It Calmly Enough*_

            The kids were really hungry. Hungry enough, that they managed to get off each other's nerves. For a while at least. As a result, Syaoran found himself wandering back into the memory he had revived earlier. Or more specifically, what had happened after.

  __*flashback*__

Syaoran and Sakura stood nervously outside the Kinomoto house. It was three days after the morning in which Tomoyo had found them in Syaoran's room, squealed in excitement, and woken everybody else up. Of course, that had been followed by a very long congratulation session, punctuated by Rika and Tomoyo squeezing the life out of Sakura in a giant bear hug, and the opening of a champagne bottle, per Tomoyo's insistence. Though Eriol, Rika, Yang, and Sakura thought it was a tad too early for a drink, it was a very special occasion, after all. As for Syaoran, he didn't really mind a glass to go with the pancakes he made for breakfast. 

Back at the Kinomoto's front door, Sakura rang the bell. They weren't too nervous about Fujitaka's reaction; they both knew he would be very happy. No, it was Touya they were worried about. After all, the overprotective brother got angry if Syaoran was within 50 feet of  Sakura. God knows what he might do when he found out they were planning to spend the rest of their lives together…

Fujitaka opened the door. Smiling, he led them to the living room, quiet curious as to why they seemed so nervous and fidgety.

"Hi, Dad. Is Touya around? We need to talk to you."

"I'm here; what's the ma- Gaki." Touya entered the living room with Yukito, spotted his mortal enemy, and immediately started another battle of the 'War of the Glares'. However, he was disappointed, as his usual opponent seemed a bit…_distracted_, and ignored the glare. 

"Touya." Fujitaka warned his son. "Now, what was it you wanted to talk about?" he asked the couple on the couch.

"Well," Sakura started, "You see… we sorta… and I love him… then…" she gave up and turned to Syaoran.

"What Sakura means is.." Sakura squeezed her fiancée's (how she loved the sound of that!) hand, "Well, you now how much I love Sakura and, well, a couple of days ago, we decided that-"

"Oh, Kami!" Touya interrupted, racing abruptly from his seat, "You got her pregnant, didn't you? I'LL KILL YOU!!" He tried to reach for Syaoran's neck, but the young man rolled over the couch and dodged him. Meanwhile, Yukito tried to calm his friend. Then, Syaoran stood up.

"No I didn't!" Syaoran yelled back at Touya. "I asked her to marry me!"

"WHAT?"

"And I said yes!" Sakura sprung up from her sit and went to stand next to Syaoran. "We're engaged now!" she smiled, holding out her left hand for her family to see. 

"Oh, sweetie, congratulations!" Fujitaka embraced his daughter. "I'm so happy for you! And you," he turned to his future son-in-law, "I trust you will take care of my little treasure?"

"Yes, sir."

"Call me Father," Fujitaka answered , including Syaoran in the hug, "after all, we will be family soon! You two are going to be so happy!" he added, releasing the couple, "I only wish Nadeshiko could have been here! She'd be just as happy as I am!"

"I'm sure she's watching from up there, Daddy." Sakura told him. 

"Congratulations, Sakura-chan, Li-kun!'' Yukito chirped, hugging Sakura and clasping Syaoran's  hand and patting him in the back. "I wish you the very best! You deserve to be happy, after all you have gone through."

"Thanks, Yukito" None of the four noticed that Touya remained frozen in place, his eyes moving wildly from one side to another.

"Ma-married… kaijuu… gaki… married?… Kami-sama… gaki?…" he muttered. 

"To-ya, what's the matter?" Yukito asked his friend, frowning. "Do you feel okay?"

"Can't be… kaijuu's only 10… must be dreaming… gaki evil… Need drink… married?…kaijuu… Oh, vodka, where art thou?…" Touya passed out.

"Onii-chan!"

__*end of flashback*__

            Touya hadn't woken up until the next morning. Even then, he thought he had just had one of his usual nightmares. However, when confronted with the truth, he went crazy. Those who were there assure that his pupils were dilated, and mad glint in them, and that foam was coming out of his mouth. He kept muttering about killing the 'gaki', until he leaped out the window and ran all the way until the gang's apartment, where it had taken one of Eriol's strongest spells (and Sakura's Shield Card) to keep him from murdering his soon to be brother-in-law. 

            Compared to that, telling Syaoran's family had been piece of cake. Granted, the elders were a little… _reluctant_, until it was called to their attention that the cards would now belong to the Clan. After that, they were almost as thrilled as Syaoran's sisters, who kept pinching Sakura's cheeks, telling her how kawaii she was ad making rather_ suggestive_ comments to their little brother.

            Syaoran's memories where once again rudely interrupted, this time by a voice calling his name. 

            "Syaoran! Is that you?"

            "Huh?" Syaoran searched for the owner of the voice, his eyes landing on Miyoshi (AN: You remember her? The gal from the party?). "Miyoshi? What are you doing here?"

            "Oh, I was a little bored and decided to come to the amusement park!" she sat herself opposite to Syaoran.

            "By yourself?"

            "Actually, I talked to Tomoyo and she said you would be here." She blushed a little." I was kind of hoping to run into you…"

            "Huh?"

            "Anyways," Miyoshi changed the subject, "I see you're stuck with the load of kids… Rough day?"

            "That's the over-statement of the year. But I don't mind, really. Actually, I rather enjoyed spending time with them." 

            "Hey! Give that back!" a shout was heard from the kids' table.

            "No way! It's mine now!"

            "Even if they are a little hyperactive…" Syaoran added.

            "So, I take you really like kids. Which ones are yours?" 

            "The green-eyed girl and the brown-haired toddler. Their names are Megumi and Kai. The little black haired girl, Rioko, and the black haired boy, Keisuke, are Chiharu's and Tak's. The other boy is Nick, the one with the real light brown hair. He's Naoko's and Kenshin's son. And, well, you know Nadeshiko and Sonomi. "

            "Yes. Hey, mind if I hang out with you guys for awhile?"

            "Not at all. But I'm not responsible for what the kids might do."

            Miyoshi giggled. "Okay."

            "Uncle Syaoran!" Nadeshiko called. "Can we go to the booth games now?"

            "Yeah!" Nick shouted. 

            "Are you all done?"

            "Yes!"

            "Well then, let's go!"

__*6 Hours and 107 Games and Rides Later*__

            Currently, it was nighttime, and the 9 f them were riding the mega-large Ferris Wheel (AN: Don't ask how they could be all in one booth. They just are.).  Kai was sitting on his Father's lap, and Megumi was right next to him. Besides her, was Nick, and then Nadeshiko. In front of them were Miyoshi, with Rioko in her lap, Keisuke besides her, and then Sonomi. Outside of the booth, the fireworks cracked in the sky, putting up a beautiful display of colors. The kids gazed at them, their eyes glowing with amazement, joy, and childish delight at such a gorgeous sight. 

Syaoran, however, wasn't seeing the fireworks, but his kids. Not for the first time, he marveled at how much he loved them, at how proud he was of them, at how happy he was to have them. He help Kai closer with one arm, and put the other around his daughter's shoulders. Kai settled back more comfortably, and Megumi laid her head on her father's shoulder. And the little family continued gazing at the lovely fireworks, content on being together.  

As for Miyoshi, she gazed at the man in front of her. It touched her heart, seeing him there, so happy with his children, just sitting down, stroking his son's hair. Why, she should take a picture of them and sell them to some greeting cards company! And as she watched on, something else sprouted in her heart. Something she hadn't felt in quite awhile, but was happy to have nonetheless.

Love.

***To Be Continued***

Don't kill me! Don't get depressed! I promise, it will all work out, and you'll love it! Whatever you do, don't stop reading this story! Please! All will be revealed in the next chapter! Please!

So, did you like it? At first, I was planning to have Syaoran being interrupted every time he was about to propose, but I'm just too lazy to spend so much time on the flashback… Besides, I find the proposal I used incredibly kawaii! Which brings me to another point: What was Sakura doing on Syaoran's bed in the morning? Well, I've decided to let you, the reader, decide. You can think whatever you want. 

I hope you liked the chapter! I thought giving Megumi a shock about her father being the 'Sleeping beauty' was particularly funny, but then again, I have a weird sense of humor. Sorry. And I just can picture Tomoyo snooping around looking for her presents! Can't you? 

Oh, and Syaoran's car. That is my favorite car. I love it! I want to get one of those someday, but they cost like a million times my yearly income! *Sniff* Poor me… BUGATTIs RULE!!!

I'm sure this chapter seems a little, well, pointless, but I had to tie up things together somehow… I'm getting very anxious to write a certain chapter… But it's still some time away! WWAAAAAA!!

As always, please review!!!!! I LOVE reviews! They make me work harder and quicker! Please, review! 


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